A regional recap of local groups and organizations making a significant difference in the lives of others.
From feeding those in need to uplifting the spirits and protecting the smiles of children, local volunteers and donors have been showing up for the region’s most vulnerable in some BIG ways!
Spectrum Food Drive Challenge
You read that correctly, 900,000 meals! 28 local companies competed in this year’s Spectrum Food Drive Challenge raising 282,000 pounds of food in 16 days. The food will be donated to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and will help the more than 63,000 people who are food insecure in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties. (Source: KNWA)
If you are interested in hosting your own food drive or volunteering at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank visit HERE.
Chase Family Foundation
This year, volunteers packed a trailer full of Christmas bags delivering a total of 18,000 pounds of food (including meals for pets) to local senior centers. From the centers the food will be distributed to local homebound seniors. According to John Baker, 1 in 3 seniors in Benton County won’t have a meal tonight, and that is why the organization does everything it can to eliminate that number. (Source: KNWA)
CASA Christmas Wish Program
Each year, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Northwest Arkansas works with local sponsors to fulfill the Christmas wishes of the foster children they serve. This year, 450 individuals and groups stepped in for Santa providing Christmas gifts for the nearly 600 children currently being served by CASA. (Source: KNWA)
In 2018, CASA of Northwest Arkansas served 847 children. In 2019, they hope to improve the lives of over 949 children in the four counties that they serve – Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington County. If you would like to get involved visit HERE.
Ronald McDonald House Charities and Tyson Foods
Approximately 7,000 Northwest Arkansas elementary students received dental care kits thanks to the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and Tyson Foods. The 13 recipient schools, primarily in Washington County, were selected based on their past year’s partnership with the Care Mobile. The RMCM is a full-service mobile dental clinic that provides comprehensive oral healthcare in school-based settings. These services are provided at no cost to the patient or their family, and for 2018 are expected to come to a value of nearly $500,000. Tyson Foods employees from all across the country volunteered to assemble the dental care kits at their annual National Sales Meeting. The kits include a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss packaged in a travel case.
Each school received at least 500 kits, which will be distributed by school nurses and counselors to students with the most need.
Do you have a story that you would like to see featured on Impact Northwest Arkansas? Feel free to reach out and share it with us by emailing alicia@findingnwa.com.
